Inerasable Sin
by Brigadier-Erin-Lightning
Summary: Greed's passion for those around him, and his own unbearable Greed Dante always told him this would be his undoing. But what happens when Envy forces Greed to see what happens when you lose more than you have? [Implied Greed x Martel, Kimbree, and Envy]
1. Prologue: Pain of Loss

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Prologue: The Pains of Loss_**

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"Crimson?" The man coughed, his broken glasses slipping from his face, clashing to the ground and shattering to a thousand rainbow-flickering pieces. Panicked eyes like cool silver shot this way and that, hands searching, searching..."Fuck..." he muttered, "Crimson, answer me!" His hands, how human they felt beneath his muscular frame. How weak they were, supporting his useless body as he stumbled through the burning wreakage. These lungs of his, filling with the scorching air, the searing flames...he knew he had to get out of this hellhole. But...

"CRIMSON!" he screamed, tanned arms shaking, feet unable to hold him up. Greed's shoulder knocked heavily against the support post of the wall, but the flames around were too great, and the wood gave an eerie creak before...

"Is this the end?" Greed asked himself, as he watched the beam above him, coming towards him with a speed that, now, in his fleshen form, seemed like the very speed-of-light. His eyes closed, his body bracing for the final blow. The blow which...never came.

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Lust. Sloth. Gluttony. Pride. Envy. Wrath. Greed. Seven names; seven homunculi. Creatures that shouldn't be allowed to exist in this world, but existed none-the-less. Seven beings that were less-then-human, more-than-human, and all around in-between. All his life, Greed had lived as something that he couldn't change, and all his life, he had been more then happy to. He didn't want to be human, he was the only one who didn't.

But on that dark, thundering night, when the sky lit ablaze with flames, when his very santuary was torn asunder by the demon with the flowing locks like a serpent's collar, Greed had realized at last that sometimes, the things you want and the things you get are two totally different things. No matter how hard you try, there's never a way to fix something that can't be fixed. Immortal or mortal, human or demon, even a sin can't play God.

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**To Be Continued in Chapter I: An Uke-Less Relationship**


	2. Chapter 1: UkeLess Relationship

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter I: An Uke-Less Relationship_**

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Two slender fingers, like delicate, pasty snakes drew their way across the homunculuse's washboard stomach, a snail's trail of gooey golden caramel left in their wake. Beneath the master's skilled hands, the immortal body quaked with an undeniable pleasure, and Envy couldn't resist but run his tongue across the caramel-coated man in a rather sadistic manner that showed he was well more then enjoying this. The young teen relished the scent of the sweet liquid candy that filled his mouth, intermingled with that delectable taste of the sweat that covered his partner in a slight film, the sweat of a God.

Beneath his powerful limbs, the body shifted. A groan of agitation and loathing spilled from the other man's mouth, causing the teen homunculus's eyes to flicker from his current actions and come to rest upon the cruel, steel-gray eyes of his companion. Eyes that showed his charge was currently angered with him. 'Well, fuck him,' thought Envy, a second finger crawling across to meddle in the puddle of golden candy, 'I'm enjoying myself.'

It was as Envy's fingers moved from the man's stomach to lift two rather large, dripping amount of caramel to his own mouth and his long, palm locks draped into his own amythest eyes, that the man reached up a metallic hand, smooth and polished, and grasped the boy's wrist in a tight grip that would have pained any ordinary human. Good thing Envy wasn't ordinary. With a final, agitated sigh of his own, Envy cocked a rather nasty smirk and sneered, "What? Not enjoying being the one pushed around for once, Greedy? Or, is that it, you're sick of me treating you like this when you're the one who wants to taunt your partner? That's how you treat your little frickin dogs, now isn't it?" In one quick snap, he wrenched his hand out of Greed's and contemplated flipping the other homunculus the birdie.

Greed's eyes narrowed to a menacing glower and his sharkteeth, Envy noted, were greatly visible as his mouth curled into the most bloodthirsty snarl manageable. "Get the fuck off me. Now."

Envy's smirk stretched itself into a taunting grin. His head dropped lower, brushing itself across the other homunculi's stomach just once more, making several quick swipes at it playfully as he lapped up the remaining caramel, his eyes carefully trained upon Greed's, watching for any emotion. And he was not to be dissapointed. With every little connection of his tongue upon Shark's flesh, a pulse of pleasure danced in Greed's eyes, making the whole experience just that much more interesting for Envy, who refused to answer until his mouth dripped candy at the edges, his smile oozing sugary-coated sweetness. "Oh, and what are you gonna do if I don't?" His eyes contracted to match Greed's harrowing stare, and he added, "You want me, don't you? But you want it under your rules. Well, there's the rule of life for you, my Greedy compadre: You can't have everything your way."

Greed's hands, in that second, snapped tight around the younger homunculi's wrists. In a blinding flare of light, the shark-toothed homunculi's hands contorted into beastly apparitions of themselves, ghastly black steel growing from flesh like white marble. Long dagger claws took form where once fingers were, and the vicious-toothed gaze he gave Envy seemed so much more mechanical now. "Get. Off." To emphasize his demand, Greed struggled beneath the firm restraint of the other homunculus, snarling like a caged tiger.

Envy was hardly intimidated. Boyish knees, curved and smooth as if in perfection itself, pinned down Greed's hips, hidden by the veneer of fancy black Italian leather of the highest grade; Envy should have known Greed would never be lacking no matter what the circumstances. However, it was also quite clear to the young boy that, even though his arms were definately in no place to be used right this second, it would still take less then a thought to get himself into Greed's pants. Literally.

But this game was just too much goddamned fun. His hips, strong and muscular for the thin and slender size he prided himself on, rocked hard against Greed's, forcing the other homunculus to grit his teeth, a vain attempt to hide the animal instinct that even an artificial human could learn. Oh, what a thing, these sins were! Beings that fought and quarreled like small children, and yet had enough power in one mere finger to bring a mortal to the Gate. That, or lead another homunculus to a pretty damn good orgasm, at least in Envy's opinion. And, of course, he prided himself in being able to bring on the very best. Naturally.

Greed's hands tightened their talonic grip with every grind of Envy's ivory hips against his own, and his moans grew quick and sharp into snarls. His mouth unhinged, teeth like deadly spikes glinting in the darkness that surrounded the two, just waiting for a chance to strike. And oh how that chance came.

Digging his fingers with nails like knives into the candy mess he had spread across Greed's stomach, Envy forced the flesh of the body beneath him apart like a mere mortal would tear an evelope. Deep crimson stained the caramel, coloring it an even darker color which seemed to satisfy Envy, who was now back into his game. His hand, still restricted by Greed's claws, swiped itself through the puddle of blood, sweat, and sweets, then lifted it to Greed's mouth at the very second he rocked once more against the other homunculus.

Greed's throat gave a sore moan of pleasure, his senses drowning in the depths of the perfumed scents Envy had drawn from him. Sickening. Sinful. This whole business was definately not one of the things he wanted, and, of course, if Greed didn't want something, he did a damn good job of resisting it. Which, in this case, meant craning his neck up in Envy's direction, fast like the strike of a cobra, and striking the blood-covered fingers with a nasty nip.

Envy's hand didn't waver in the homunculus's bite, but his face did turn a shade darker, which seemed to please his partner. The youth's deep purple gaze settled upon the smug face of his chosen companion, and he frowned as he said, "Does it make you alive to kill others? Does it?" His other hand lashed out in a cat-scratch, drawing the nails across Greed's bare and masculine chest and digging them in quite deep this time. "Two can play that game."

An echo of fury forced itself from Greed's very being, and his metallic hands, with all their might, sought to fling Envy to the floor. How suprised he was to find that the other wouldn't be budged, not even by "The Ultimate Sheild". His teeth sank deeper to cover his wounded pride.

"Bite as hard as you want, you can't kill me," Envy taunted. "I'm not fragile like your little bomber, or even your frail, weak little chimera pets. Does it make you feel better to think you can surround yourself by objects that are just mere playtoys to someone like you?" This time, Envy curled himself and rocked against the other quite hard, as if he was forcing the game now to a show of power.

Greed, once more of course, made an attempt at gaining the upper hand. Through his full mouth, he mumbled, "I'll have the perfect world of my choice, even if it means adding a homunculus to my collection to do it."

"Really, now?" Envy asked, intrigued. "Well, that's quite an ambition..." He had become bored by now. Greed's rather tempermental attitude, his instability, was hardly more then predictable, and therefore he was barely a challenge. That, and, if he thought he was causing Envy pain..."However, I don't really have time to play. I didn't come here to play. I came here to fuck. And if you don't want to actually give me what I want, well, let's just say, I'm greedy myself. Or perhaps just envious for a greed to rival your own."

Greed's tongue lapped against the blood spilling from Envy's torn hand, his shark-teeth still busily digging in deeper, deeper yet, trying to sever the very fingers off of Envy's hand. At last, after the silence had settled about him like a veil, Greed spat out Envy's hand with disgust and muttered foully,"I won't uke."

Envy chuckled and examined his hand. He wondered if, perhaps, he should get a tetanus shot? Nah, let it get all diseased if it should, all oozing pus and dripping vile green liquid. Then again, could a homunculus even get disease? He wasn't sure. His bare thighs (for Envy had never been taught the decency of wearing a pair of pants when coming to call upon a lover) relaxed their hold on Greed atlast, and, with a strong push, he leapt from Greed's hold only to land, haunched over and cat-like on the floor, all four hands and feet on the floor and long blackish locks trailing in his boyish face as he cast an amused, but tired glare up at Greed."Neither will I."

Greed rubbed his head, and sat up, rather dazed at Envy's quick retreat. "Where the hell are you going?" he snapped.

Envy stood, his body shimmering with his own special power as his clothing just seemed to reappear on him. In a manner that showed his lack of interest in the other man, the youth homunculi's hand reached up and brushed back his long locks, positioning his headband with care. He gave a sigh, a flippant gesture of his hand. "Edo-kuns."

"That shrimp?"

"He fucks better then you at least," Envy said, casting a nasty little stare over his shoulder as he turned his back on Greed. "And, I don't have to waste my fucking time trying to get that brat to let me do whatever the hell I want to him. I can see now why we never got along."

Greed's eyes narrowed again, and he brushed back his black hair, slipping the brown leather vest, pleated with heavy, downy white fur, onto his bare shoulders so enticingly that it made Envy's skin crawl. But the younger knew that he wouldn't get the older, not yet. Not quite yet. But the day would come soon. Yes...soon... His fingers trailed through his hair one last time, thenthe homunculi gave the slightest of flips, landing gracefully upon the windowsill and casting back one last glance, this one terribly foreboding in its look. "This isn't over."

"Fight me," Greed stated, somewhat distracted. His hand ran smooth across his butchered chest, but his eyes kept contact with Envy.

"Fight you? You're pulling my string. I don't fight wimps," Envy shot back. "Maybe after you've figured out damn well what you are, I'll be back. You see, I have this little theory...If I make your life a living hell, perhaps...perhaps we'll both get our way in the end, right? Or so pipsqueak says. "Equivalent Exchange"."

Greed, puzzled, would have said something, but, in that moment, Envy was gone. For good? No, heaven's no. He'd be back. Envy was the dragon's shadow, that dark being that lingered in wait. Sometimes...sometimes it made Greed wonder, which of the two...

Which of the two was truthfully the more greedy?

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**To be Continued in Chapter II: Flames and the One-Night Stand**


	3. Chapter 2: Flames and the OneNight Stand

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter II: Flames and the One-Night Stand_**

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Greed had been tipping a few. And, by tipping a few, one does not mean that the homunculus had had one or two beers. Dear God no, can you say twenty-two? Black hair only hastily slicked back, not even entirely spiked today, and eyes gazing down at the oaken bar beneath him like two rusty bolts, Greed was a total wreck. His tight black leather shirt seemed almost to lessen in luster, and, in the manner he was hunched over, the fabric did nothing to expose his unusually beautifully-shaped muscles.

"Damn that Envy. Damn the bastard. Waltzes into MY bar and thinks he owns the place. And worse! He manages to actually get me down and…" His voice was dripping sarcastic hatred, pure and complete loathing for the other homunculi in question. As he spoke the next words, his fist removed itself from the stem of his beer glass, and slammed itself quite hard against the table, turning a deep, steely black as it did so. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to get him under my thumb and..."

From somewhere off in the near distance, a bell rang and the click of a doorknob was heard in the impending darkness. The bar, unlit and un-welcoming, loomed before the newcomer, velvety chairs still up on the hard, polished ash tables, bar vacant now except for a single, frosty glass. The man who stepped in, young and strapping, ran a hand back through his rather spiked and heavily-oiled locks, a sneer perched on his expectant lips. Golden eyes flashed about the empty room, and...

The door behind him slammed with a resounding thud, a hand as pale as a full moon escaping the black shadow of the room, to shoot past the newcomer and make his escape impossible. This was followed by a body, hard like diamond, pressing itself against the younger man's spry form, and the hiss of Greed's voice as he stepped from beside the man to cuddle against him in an enticing way. "Hello, Kimbree..."

"Greed!" Kimbree stated, almost shocked, his golden slits widening. When his orbs had adjusted to the deep lack of light surrounding him, and had made their way to the cloudy gray of his partner's, he forced a wicked smirk. "I do hope you weren't trying to make me die of a heart-attack. You'll have to do better then that, you very well know. I ain't no military puppy. Not anymore."

Greed returned the smirk, before fastening his cold, unyielding lips to Crimson's, hands slipping wantingly up underneath the alchemists' worn white shirt, the only outfit Kimbree had chosen to wear lately. That and the military's pants. Greed had suggested something more suave, had tried to force Kimbree into assorted formal wear, but the Crimson would have no part of that. Black tuxedos made the alchemist look even more desirable, yet he didn't like the color. White was ugly and cast aside immediately. Greed had even suggested a dress; Kimbree had friend it and shoved it down Greed's throat, literally.

His lips pulled away and he dragged Zolf Kimbree even closer to him, whispering, "You're not a homunculus, either."

Kimbree's eyes connected with Greed's, and the wicked lure of a taunt slunk into his voice, "Yeah, well you're not immortal."

This caused a sharp little sigh from Greed, both of pure pleasure and the anger at the taunt, though it was only a little thing to him. The problem was that his student had learned too well, wasn't it? Kimbree knew exactly what words to say and when to say them to get right under Greed's skin. He was just like...nevermind that now, there were other things to be accomplished. Other things Greed intended to obtain. Now. His hands gripped tightly around Kimbree's bare waist beneath the shirt, and his head dropped lower, tongue rolling out to brush against Crimson's neck and force a small purr of pleasure from him.

"Ah," Zolf said, his hands coming up to brush through Greed's hair, his cruel mind contemplating the entire while what it might take as an excuse to see the homunculus before him explode into fiery remnants of his former self, to see this tender and ever so ruthless body that clung to him now go up in flames. "So, this is why you brought me here, is it?"

Greed cast a glance at the other out of the corner of his eye. "You catch on pretty damn fast."

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"What're you doing here!"

Edward Elric was famous for finding himself in bad situations. But this one had to take the cake. On this night, just as he had just found himself relocated to the home of his former teacher, Izumi Curtis and had barely escaped his death at a milk-oriented dinner, FullMetal had only been wanting the quiet escape of his room, the one place he and Al could find a sanctuary in a house that was constantly under the watch of a woman who was rather like the Devil Incarnate. Instead, he had escaped right into the claws of Satan himself. Worse yet, Al would be returning to bed any minute!

Envy rolled his teenage shoulders from his perch on the metal end bar of Edward's bed, one long, slender finger running across the homunculus' lips, as his tongue snuck from his mouth to brush against it. Deep purple eyes, almost black, glanced over the hand he was currently playing with to where Edward cowered beside the door. Oh, how fun to torture the young boy.

"I got bored."

"So, you came the hell after me? What do you want? I won't let you have Al; I-" Edward's flesh hand moved to hover over the automail one, his body tensed for what he expected to be a fight. He had never beaten his half-brother yet but…there could be a first time for everything, couldn't there?

"I don't want the metal trash can," Envy said, rolling his eyes. "I just want an uke."

Sure enough, the taunt brought the flush of deep cherry red to the other's face. Fear, embarrassment, uncertainty clouded those beautiful amber eyes that Envy was so jealous of, those eyes that reminded him wickedly of his father, reminded him of the love for the young boy. The love that was wrung from such an immense hatred that Envy had no problem with injuring Edward just for a little pleasure.

"I-I won't uke for you!" snarled Edward. "G-Get out-" his body froze against the wall, watching with growing tension as the serpent-like homunculus rolled from the bed, which gave a loud creak, and stalked towards him.

"Big talk from a shrimpy little alchemist…" Envy purred, his tongue flicking out of his mouth as a snake's would, his delicate fingers brushing across it, then running along Edward's neck, down to uncover his shoulder. "But do you have the courage to back it up, uke-boy?"

"Get off me!" Edward snapped, his body giving cold shivers as Envy's hand traced its way down his arm. The unfamiliar feeling of pleasure slid down Ed's spine, straight down into his pants, giving him such a shock that he gasped, but immediately recovered, a bright flash occurring as his hands flashed, the bright blade appearing from his arm and striking out at Envy.

As always, the homunculus was quicker. With a wicked laugh, Envy launched himself backwards to land once more on the bed. His eyes flashed. "Well, well, looks like there is some fight in you after all. And here I thought you were the coward your father was."

"I'm. Not. My. Father!" Ed growled, his feet charging forward, arm swiping in Envy's direction with every intent of killing the other. Edward's temper, Envy loved to point out, was very bull-like: get him upset and all Edo can see is red.

And when all you can see is blood red, you make mistakes. Such as the mistake of thinking that he could actually land a hit on the homunculus. As Edward's blade slashed through the air, Envy flipped over his head, hands landing on Edward's shoulders and pushing off so that the homunculus landed perfectly on all fours behind the boy.

Edward, set off-balance at Envy's touch, tripped over himself and tumbled forward…just in time for Envy's leg to shoot out and knock him entirely off his feet. There was one thing that Edward didn't notice, however, that factored into Envy's win as well, and the swell of pride and satisfaction in Envy's chest couldn't have brought on a better want for the young boy when it occurred. Seconds before Edward could right himself, he ran out of space in the room, and, with no place to fall flat on his face, his head gave an audible crash and…he flew straight out the window, sending a spray of shattered glass everywhere.

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"Hm? What was that? Is Ed okay?" Alphonse stated, setting down the fork on the table, his metallic head turning so that his eyes could drift in the direction of the stairs. There was only so much shoving food into empty armor that one could take, and it tickled when he dropped food down inside of himself. That and, there were indeed some pretty strange noises coming from outside, which Al knew did certainly not belong to simple street cats. And Al was the expert on this sort of thing.

"Alphonse, shut up and drink your milk!" snapped Izumi, who probably would have said more but, with no further ado, she began to cough blood all over her dinner plate.

Alphonse sighed. Still, it was better to shove food inside of himself then it was for his teacher to discover the truth behind him and Edward, for he was quite sure the wrath of a PMSing alchemist was at least a million times more frightening then any glass of milk could be.

And Ed could handle himself.

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Or could he?

Edward strained to sit up from the impact, groaning heavily, his entire vision swimming before his eyes. At first, he tried to sit straight up, but when that failed to work, he attempted to simply figure out which part of him was broken, on the lucky chance that is that he actually had some part that wasn't. He flexed his arms; both worked. He tried his legs; still good. He moved his head; spine was fine. So what the hell was the-

His vision suddenly clear, a scream held itself in the boy's mouth only seconds before he could utter it. All around him, the deep foliage of his master's most prized bushes, rosebeds, and the like. And atop him, hands already magnetically attached to the soft skin beneath the black t-shirt Edward wore, one trying with quick and efficient ease to un-zip the Elric boy's pants, Envy grinned down at him. The sins' hips were pressed down against Ed's, his legs straddling the young alchemist so that Edward had no way of getting up; no way of running. Speaking in a hushed, rapid voice, Envy stated, "Don't worry, Elric. By tomorrow, I'll just have been a bad dream."

"This is certainly an interesting turn of events, is it not, Hagane-no-chibi?" Envy couldn't help but asking, seconds before his clawed hands penetrated the soft flesh of the boy's stomach, before his probing hand, within the skin-tight leather of FullMetal's pants, found exactly what it was looking for and the boy beneath him finally found the voice within to give up a cry that only made the whole thing even sweeter.

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**To be Continued in Chapter III: Wicked Schemes and Broken Dreams**


	4. Chapter 3: Schemes and Dreams

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter III: Wicked Schemes and Broken Dreams_**

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Edward's body was paralyzed in fear and horror as Envy withdrew himself from the chibi alchemist, and ran a slender, pale, sex-covered hand across the boy's face. The sin's mouth drew up in a satisfied grin, his long, spiked locks draping over his bare, muscular shoulders and dragging across Elric's stomach every time that Envy moved. The hand upon the boy's face drew itself down to the child's neck, applying just enough pressure to make Edward whimper in pain. Tears welled in the younger child's eyes, eyes already red from crying so piteously through the whole ordeal.

'That's right,' thought Envy with a horribly sadistic pleasure, 'Cry for me, like that bastard father of ours never would. Cry for me like no one else can, chibi, and let me take you again; let me keep taking you until there's nothing left but an empty shell, and then I'll find a new playtoy.' His hand tightened as frustration etched itself across his face, and Edward gave a gasping yelp from beneath him that went unnoticed. 'You, Greed, you're all the same...selfish, greedy, I know what those tears are really for...'

He fought back the urge to pound the young blonde's face in, as his head dropped against Elric's bare shoulder and the raspy whisper of his voice came, purring, seductive, but filled with loathing and jealousy. "You'll cry for yourself to the bitter end, won't you, hagane, but when the end comes for me, it won't be you, nor that freak Greed who mourns my passing." And with that, Envy gave a rather haughty sigh, looking dejectedly off into the night sky above, his eyes fighting to glimpse it between the thick shrubbery of what had once been Izumi's garden, and what now was, well, a disaster area.

Several wighty minutes of silence passed, or at least almost silence. Ed, gasping and groaning, his body still seeming caught in the last few throes of an orgasm, gentle tears falling down his cheeks at the pain he was enduring right now. Too weak to slug the homunculus, too tired to fight, Ed had to give into the fact that he was helpless now. It didn't make things any better when Envy's free hand stroked Edward's taut, uncovered stomach, fingertips transformed into a resemblance of Greed's black claws. Claws against flesh dreged up small trickles of blood, searing slashes on a body so young.

Edward winced. It was a real shock when he found his lips moving in a gentle tone, to whisper words that he would have never dreamed of saying to the homunculus, under any circumstance. Perhaps this time, it was to be an exception, for Ed had never seen the homunculus in such a state, almost as if Envy were depressed, as if something troubled the sin. Maybe that's why Edward said, in a tone that didn't even force kindness, yet mingled the feeling with pure childish curiousity, "Then, when you die, who will?"

Envy's eyes drew back to Ed's at once, narrowed sharp with pain and immeasurable fury. His clawed hand rose just as swiftly, becoming normal once more and held as if to slap the boy whom lay pinned under the sin's forceful legs, his other hand dragging Edward's head upwards by his throat so that Envy, when he leaned forward, could hold his face inches from the boy's. His words were laced in malice. "What the fuck do you care, FullMetal Pipsqueak? It's none of your goddamned business how I die, anyway, now is it? Besides..." He looked away, snarling like a feral cat. "I don't really care if anyone mourns me."

Edward's lips hardly moved, his speech made difficult by the pressure blocking his windpipe, his eyes shut tight with pain. "You...lie..."

The pressure welled up inside of the sin once more, that undeniable will to take the boy, that demon beast which told him that he must have flesh, that he must take from FullMetal once more, that he must leave the boy like a dying carcass, not a single ounce of strength in his limbs. Flames of hate and anger consumed his soul, if a sin truely possessed one, that is, and Envy's fist slammed Edward back to the ground so roughly that the boy cried in pain.

Raising himself above Edward's body, Envy's hands both changed to clawed black obscenities, and his wicked grin had never looked so vile, so deadly. "Be a good boy hagane, I'm going to make you pay for that last remark, with your own flesh and blood."

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Exhausted, Greed raised his head rather doggedly, his mind aching from the explosion of his immortal body, the dazzling flames that had ruptured his soul but left no mark on perfect, marble-white flesh. His hair was a mess, but it was a sexy mess at that, and his shark teeth were well concealed behind a rather serious-looking face as his eyes regarded his partner, a young alchemist who lay curled beside him in the bed, looking like just an ordinary man now, aged and weary.

Zolf Kimbree was not a homunculus, and Greed knew this, but why, he wondered, could he not help but want the man's company at his side, always? It was not mere greedy tendencies, of that he was certain, for he had plenty of other companions to choose from. The chimeras were pets, animals in human form whom he could do as he pleased with. Mortals were sex-toys, meant to be used, abused, then scattered on some lonely alleyway. But Kimbree...

The metallic, clawed hand of the monster reached out, and brushed through Zolf's soft hair, though Greed could no longer feel the smooth brush of the soft mass upon his hand; he had lost nearly all feeling in his upper body as the years dragged on; had become impervious to mere gentle gestures. It made his heart ache, to see the fiery Crimson, there, beside him, so small and weak, when Greed had never known a man who was less afraid of death.

His hand lingered long in the locks of the sleeping Kimbree, and at last, satisfied, Greed's eyes closed. 'Kimbree...'

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"Fucking bitch..." cursed Envy, staggering his bedraggled form into the deep, dark cavern in which he and the other homunculi lurked, far from the light of the sun and the prying eyes of the world. Cuts and bruises tarnished his ivory skin, a tiny trail of blood trickling from his mouth, and more falling from wounds dug deep into the skin beneath his torn clothes. "Couldn't she see that I was just trying to put away my goddamned playthings? It's not like I was going to fucking," he clambored up onto a rather high perch, knees drawn to his chest and arms folded across them, head resting atop his wrists as a sulking expression crossed his features, "rob her fucking house or anything..."

Images flashed through his mind, of dragging an unconcious and shivering FullMetal, clothes-less, to the doorstep of the raggedy old house from which he had retrieved the boy, Hagane's coat and pants curled over Envy's arm, as he grumbled insults about the boy and rang the doorbell. No sooner had his finger tapped the button, then a fist had come flying from the opening door, slamming right into his perfect face.

"THE HELL?" snarled Envy, depositing Edward onto the ground unceremoniously and turning a nasty glare at the woman standing in the doorway, a pale, slender thing who looked frail and weak under a plain white robe-like outfit. Eyes of pure ice stared back at him, and the young homunculus swiped away the blood dripping from his leering mouth, snarling, "I was just bringing back something of yours, you frickin-" but before he could finish, Izumi Curtis lunged at him and...

"Well, well, if it isn't Envy," came a feminine voice from the shadows nearby, jarring Envy from his self-important thoughts. The voice was followed in due time by the figure of a young woman with long, flowing black hair and a rather seductive black dress that revealed just enough to get any man's juices flowing. Her deep violet eyes, a trademark of many the homunculi, looked rather mockingly at Envy, perched up on his throne well above herself, in that regal manner of his. "You look as if the FullMetal got the better of you..."

Envy snarled in a put-off voice. "Shut up."

Lust chuckled softly to herself. "Oh dear," she murmured in that sugar-sweet voice that could lure a man like a Siren's could. "It seems like Envy is in a bad mood, doesn't it..." she paused in her steps toward the youthful-looking homunculus, and reached her hand up, letting her long claws extend and scrape down the side of the wall, sounding of nails on a chalkboard. "...Gluttony?"

Behind her, a pudgy body shuffled forward, great orb head like a fleshy potato on the shoulders of a lard-filled balloon. An enormous hand was wedged in the homunculuses' mouth, tiny beady eyes looking up as if regarding Envy, but his mind was apparantly thinking something entirely different, as his free hand reached forward and tugged on Lusts' dress, mumbling, "Lust, I'm hungry..."

Lust didn't even bother a glance back at her gluttonous companion, merely stated, "You can have some nicve, tasty Ishvaruns later Gluttony." She continued to gaze up at Envy, and her smile crooked into a rather provoking smirk hidden behind dark lipsticked lips. "Tell me, Envy, was it worth it, robbing the cradle?"

Envy turned his head away from Lust and seemed pouty for the count of several minutes, in which all that could be heard was the sucking noise that meant Gluttony was using his thumb to keep his mouth occupied in wait for his dinner. Then, finally,his eyes dark like a storm, and twice as wild, turned away and closing slowly, Envy said in an emotionless manner, "I went to see Greedy today."

Lust's smirk immediately vanished, and her lips curled in a reproachful look, eyes narrowing seriously. "You're looking for trouble with him, Envy, and you're going to find it. You know what father thinks of that deserter. You're supposed to be watching over the human sacrifices, not-"

"My plan is coming to a head, Lust," Envy said, a trance-like stare on his face, his closed eyes giving him an almost serene calm. Only the overjoyous, deviant sneer that remained on his lips could show that he was plotting something dreadful. "Soon, Shark-tooth will be all mine; my uke, and there won't be anything he can do about it. He's not going to have the dominant role for much longer..."

Lust sighed heavily, and Gluttony looked away from his thumb and up at her with an almost childlike look of interest. "For your own sake, Envy, I hope your plan works," she said.

Envy snickered, and then a rather horrible-sounding laughter came from his throat, a sound like knives cutting through the air. His eyes opened and he raised his head to the sky, laughing as the lighting-like essence of his stone surrounded his body, healing the wounds and rips and tears that covered him. Maniacally, he proclaimed to whatever beings lay above in the star-filled sky, high, high above the heavy rock that seperated him from the cool night air, "There is nothing that stands now between me and what I want...do you hear me? NOTHING!"

Crazed laughter filled the room, and, as Lust finally made her way back towards the shadows, shaking her head in desperation and admonishing Envy's naivety, she cast one last look at her brother, there on his Godly pedestal. But all she saw, from beneath the serpent's collar of spikes and the black headband, were two eyes, deep, dark, and glowing like twin signals from Hell.

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**To be Continued in Chapter IV: The Cost of a Life**


	5. Chapter 4: The Cost of a Life

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter IV: The Cost of a Life_**

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There was a harsh rap against the door of the small bedroom, nearly causing the boy's heart to leap from his chest. Edward couldn't bring himself to move, could barely lift one eyelid open to look in the direction the disturbance, mind initially shouting at him to hide, to run. Instinct kicked in; he was going to be raped again if he didn't get out of here. However, two very important details kept him fused to the spot.

The first was that the young blonde's body probably wouldn't handle the stress of an escape right now. Envy had not only taken that innocent part of him last night; he had also managed to make off with much of Ed's health. A fever was overtaking the young alchemist, and his stomach felt like a garbage disposal. It hurt to move his torn and blodied limbs, to even utter a syllable through lips pained with bruises for kisses that had been come far too hard, and much too fast.

The second was that Ed was quite sure a homunculus would never knock politely at the door and wait for an answer. In fact, Edward mused, that would be pretty out of ordinary indeed. What, was that palm tree just going to saunter in here, head held high, and say, "Hey, Hagane, I'm going to tie you to your bed and rape you mercilessly now, is that okay?" In fact, Ed would have laughed. Would have, had his mind not immediately told him that the homunculus wasn't beyond such tricks. Damn, and Al and Izumi had gone off to get medicine.

But Ed was a risk-taker; he always had been, so he timidly raised his gaze to about the level of the door where the person's face would be when it opened, and he braced himself for the worst. "Come in," he muttered feebily.

The oaken gateway clicked softly, a figure of rather masculine stature and sharp, obsidian eyes entered the room. His body was dressed down in military blue, hands covered by white gloves. That same belligerent smirk was pasted on his cocky features, as Roy Mustang brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. "Good morning, FullMetal."

"Colonel..."

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"Sir..."

Greed was vaguely aware of a gentle hand prodding his great shoulder, and his eyebrows twitched in irritation, eyes squinting tighter closed and body curling up into a little ball. I don't want to get up, I don't want to leave this bed, or...his clawed hand reached out towards the other side of the bed, seeking the warmth and the delicacy that was Zolf Kimbree's flesh. Instead, his nails fell upon empty sheets, and this stirred him. His body shot straight up, and he almost mouthed the words when he caught sight of who was speaking to him.

A cross frown lit Martel's features, her hand hesitating several inches from Greed's shoulder, which, to his dismay, seemed to have turned to metal several minutes earlier as she had been prodding him. Her short, choppy blonde hair didn't really have a style to it, and her thin, lithe body showed teasingly from underneath a black tank top and army pants that were just a size too big. Ah, in another life, perhaps she would be the one on his mind. But not now.

"Sir, I apologize for waking you. I know you hate being disrupted when-"

"Where's Bomber?" Greed mouthed, trying to at least get himself in order. His hair was limp, bangs hanging in his face without the residue of gel to hold them in neat, even spikes. Defenseless without their trademark shades, his eyes seemed almost human. His body, though fit and muscular, lacked all most all requirements of an outfit. But there were other, more important things.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. The clicking of a human tongue against the roof of the individual's mouth drew Greed's attention, and he brightened to see Crimson stalking into the room, maroon suit draped over his agile, freshly cleansed frame. His tiger-eyes, golden and sharp, landed on Greed and his mouth flashed the homunculus a riling grin. "What's the matter Greedy, missing me already?"

Greed's eyes softened, but he tried to hide it. His hand reached for his glasses, on the nearby table, and be placed them on the bridge of his nose with care, so that the smoky lenses his the emotions that he himself couldn't. He forced the smallest of combative simpers, replying casually, "You know I like to keep my possessions close to me."

This drew the suspected chuckle of demonic laughter from the other, who beamed back at Greed. "Greedy Greedy never gets. I can go anywhere and do whatever I want. If you don't like that, too damn bad."

Challenged, Greed felt not only his temper, but also his eager, flare. He forced the anger back down, gritting his teeth in a smile so dangerous it must have been shooting off warning signals in Kimbree's direction. "It seems I've given you too much freedom."

The Crimson Alchemist didn't reply, merely retained that cool sneer of his, letting the tension slip like a fog into the room as he watched Greed slip almost seductively into an outfit almost identical to the one he wore every day. A sigh froze in the alchemist's throat, having just been about to make a comment on how his "master" really should buy some new apparel when Martel, who up until now had been ignored by the other two, intervened.

"Pardon me, Sir, but you have a custo-" She said, patiently, in Greed's direction.

Greed huffed loudly, standing to adjust his brown vest over his tight shirt. His smile faded to a dark frown. "Tell them to leave. We don't open until midnight."

"No, sir, that's not it..."

"Then what is it, Martel, I've got matters to attend to." Yeah, matters. Matters like the companionship of a certain black-haired devil who was currently occupying the same room as himself. Irritation crossed Greed's visage.

"Sir..." An instant passed in silent hesitation, before Martel managed, "Sir...it's Envy-kun..."

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"Edward..." prodded Roy, just once more, as he sat beside the young alchemist on the bed, looking away from the boy. Mustang's words were the same as usual: brief, clipped, and stone cold. His eyes matched his voice. "Tell me once more what happened."

"Why?" raged Ed, looking in the opposite direction from Mustang with a degree of anger looming in his voice. "So you can take pointers from a sadistic bastard on how to seduce me? I'm not playing anybody's twisted sexy toy anymore, Mustang." His eyes narrowed. "But then, you don't care, do you?"

"No, Ed, I do care. I'm here to help you, not sit by while you ramble off insults about me just to make your own broken ego feel-"

"What the hell do you think you can do?" snarled Edward, sitting up all too fast as his blazing golden eyes landed on Mustang's startled orbs with an intense fury. He paid the price for this gesture, unfortuneately, as his body was too weak to be flung about like some rag doll. His head spun, his shoulders fell limp, and he found himself toppling back against the downy pillows when suddenly Mustang's arms were under him, around him, supporting his body.

Ed blinked. Roy blinked. An awkward silence fell over the two and then...

"Ahem," coughed Roy, laying FullMetal against the pillows again with care and averting his glare to the floor once more. Unease settled over him, and what was this, the beating of his heart knocking against his rib cage like a wild beast? He inhaled deeply...then tried to cover up his slip with a quick retort, "I think I have my uses."

Edward blushed bright red and turned his weakened head so that he wasn't looking at Roy any longer. But his eyes darkened. After several second's time, he growled, "What the hell did you do that for? I would have been fine. I don't need to owe you anything, Mustang. Besides," he paused, "I saw it in your eyes, just before you looked away. Uncertainty, but also that unmistakable want..."

Roy's teeth grit, but he was calm, soothed more so now that Ed had found out, actually. "You're right, Edo. I do want you. But I can wait." He turned his eyes towards the boy, watching as FullMetal's entire body stiffened at his words, as his young subordinate turned eyes clouded with loathing and fear towards him.

"Can...wait?" asked Edward, in soft undertones.

"Because," Roy whispered back, his head bowing low and his lips brushing almost seducingly across the younger's forehead, quickly followed by a teasing gloved hand that pushed the locks from the boy's face. When he spoke next, his eyes were directly linked with Elric's. "I love you, Ed."

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"What did you come here for?" snarled Greed, his hands already glowing bright with transmutation as the blackness crawled across them like the plague. Sharpened talons replaced fingernails, cold steel taking the warmth from his pale flesh. Standing outside the bar, in a small, dank alleyway, he found himself facing that same green-haired freak from several nights ago. Lousy Envy; Greed would make him pay now ten-fold the embarassment Envy had caused him.

"Oh, I didn't come here to fight, Greedy." Envy let out a pitying laugh. "Oh no, quite the contrary. I was just bringing a message from our father. He's been quite interested in you as of late, you should know, and I-"

"That's enough!" Greed's voice became a low, throaty growl, menacing and deep in tone. Behind him, Kimbree and Martel stood like sentries, Kimbree's narrowed eyes glimmering with excitement and his lips curled in a playful smile; Martel's entire body conveying a warning. Greed paid them no heed, though his eyes did glance maybe once or twice in the direction of the alchemist, but whether it was for encouragement or not was hard to tell. "I did come here to fight. I owe you one for the last time."

"Well, well, is that so?" Envy asked, drawling in a bored and tired way. Instantly, his mouth quirked to a grin, and his legs dropped down as if he were some human spring or the like. "Well, Greedy, you'll have to catch me first," he issued his challenge. Then, in a blaze of movement, the homunculus leapt high into the air, flipped, and grabbed hold of the wall of Greed's bar, shimmying up the wall without much difficulty.

Greed, who had gone in a matter of seconds from being sexy bar owner to deadly predator, let the blackness spread up his arms, into his legs, his face becoming a ghastly mirror of a human's face, his teeth phantom-esque. Leaping up, he snatched hold of the wall in his claws and dragged his heavy metallic form upwards after Envy.

"You'll have to do better then that!" shouted the sin, diving across the roof, egging Greed on. Greed was more then happy to comply. Flinging himself upon the hard stone, the monstrous being chased after the wiry homunculus, driving kick after kick, punch after punch at the frail body, only to watch ith dismay as Envy dodged or countered every blow. Back and forth, back and forth, the roles switched and switched again, until both were panting and covered with a film of sweat.

Crimson eyes met violet ones, and Greed murmured, "You're not bad."

"Not bad youself," replied Envy, but he was already halfway to Greed by now, flipping and somersaulting towards his opponent with ease. "But you'll have to try harder!"

Envy's next shot hit Greed square in the jaw, and, pained, the homunculus stumbled backwards, towards the edge of the roof. Stunned, but not horribly injured, Greed's throat echoed a threat, and he moved towards the other sin once more, only to find himself this time unable to wear down the palm tree, gain a hit. Every punch, blocked. Every kick, evaded. With each passing minute, he could feel the breath in his lungs expiring, and for the first time Greed asked himself if a homunculus could really die of suffocation. he didn't know.

Particularly, he didn't care.

In fact, the fight wasn't seeming to go anywhere. For every blow landed,at least a hundred missed their mark. In the end, with both fighters covered in scratches and torn apparel, as well as with Greed only half the ultimate shield, half human-like, it was Envy who indeed won out, only because he had failed to fall first. Colors swam before Shield's eyes, and his body, overweighted with its metal parts, crashed to the ground, pumping forced breath from his mis-treated lungs.

A dark shadow fell upon him. "I see you've lost then. My reward, then, is this body of yours. I will take you, and you will know true submission, Greed." Envy's eyes flared, and the teen knealt beside the older-looking man, looking extremely pleased with himself. "How I've waited for this day..."

'No. No, no, no, no, no. This isn't the end; it can't be the end! I refuse to let some bastard with hair that looks like a toxic acid spill dyed it and a Lolita Complex have me. Not now, nor ever. I have to...' His body forced itself to apply the pressure on his palms; forced itself to try and stand, but the legs of the teen were already coming over him, pushing him down. A hand was already reaching for Greed's glasses, filching them, examining them, then cracking them into a thousand shards with only the mere pressure of his hand. Shards of glass scattered.

'No...'

"Greedy," Envy asked, pure malice in his every word, his legs straddling Greed's midsection, hands forcibly holding down Greed's writhing claws. "Tell me, do you know the cost of a life?"

"What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?" Greed growled, fighting to free himself, even as Envy's delicate hands lifted the two clawed paws that sought to destroy him and pinned them together above Greed's head with one arm. His other hand, now free, fumbled with the zipper on Greed's favorite pants.

"The cost of a life," snorted Envy. "Don't tell me you're weak AND stupid." He managed to get the zipper undone by now, and had reach a hand in to the dark, steamy depths beneath, his fingers searching to grip a hold of something firm, something-ah, there it was. "What do you think it costs to make a life?"

"I don't know..." Greed snapped, and a gasp fluttered from his lips as Envy found what he had been looking for, a gasp which he couldn't manage to suppress, and which forced him to nearly yell his next words. "I don't care!"

"Oh, you had better start caring..." Envy's lips brushed playfully against Greed's right ear, nipping softly at the virgin flesh. "You had best start caring...real soon..."

And it was at that second that the explosion hit.

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**To be Continued in Chapter V: State of Silence**


	6. Chapter 5: State of Silence

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter V: State of Silence_**

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The two quarrelsome sins were caught entirely off guard by the explosion, but this gave Greed all the more time to close his eyes as the flames rocked his body, lulling him almost to the verge of a sweet dream. Atop him, Envy cried out with tortured pain, riled and angry as the blast died away and he found himself scarred. Such beautiful pale flesh, burned black by some royal bastard! The homunculus swore death to the one responsible as he turned his violet eyes in the direction of the perpetrator. Plum wine orbs narrowed when he saw the man approaching them, brushing off his maroon jacket as if he was just walking into some social event.

"That would be MY property that you're messing with there, homunculus," Kimbree stated, his irritated, loathsome golden slits peering over at Envy and locking gazes with the other. His hands moved up, revealing the two perfectly inscribed circles, Father Sun and Mother Moon entwined with the alchemic symbol of all creation. "I think you should die now."

Greed, laying still as stone beneath Envy, gaze no objection as the sin disentangled himself from the greedy contender, and stood. "Have at you!" snarled Envy. "Tonight I'll be marked the greatest. And no mortal with a deathwish is going to stand between me…and what I want!"

The words of the palm-haired youth were lost on the older-looking, dogged man, who could only gaze hopefully up at Kimbree, unsure he was really awake. He almost wanted to defend his good name, but, instead, he mustered a knowing smirk and let his eyes fall closed, a single, sweet word hanging on his lips like the wings of a butterfly. "Kimbree…"

"Damn shame, because I don't intend on losing either." Kimbree gave a nasty little sneer, before his lip curled down into the most disgusted of looks, and, bringing his hands together to lock the circles, he charged. "Let's just see if the rumors about homunculi are true!"

Envy dove aside as the explosion rocked where he had been standing, and, rolling to his feet, he leapt up and over Crimson. Kimbree, seeking to guard his blind spot, whipped around and reached his hands out to blow the sin to pieces, but Envy no longer remained where he had been only seconds before. There was no time to duck aside before the sin's arm slammed heavily into Crimson's face from above, knocking the alchemist sideways and forcing him to waste precious time trying to get back on his feet.

A nasty retort died on his lips as Kimbree dragged himself to his feet, only to be met by the sting of teeth sinking deep into his flesh. A startled cry escaped him, his eyes widening in shock to see the scale-coated serpents head gazing up at him, it's fangs embedded deep into the alchemist's shoulder, and body twisting and twining backwards to become the arm of the homunculus, now only feet from Crimson.

"Nifty power, isn't it, Bomber?" Envy purred, forcing the fangs deeper within the flesh, tearing away precious ligaments as his bare feet moved him closer and closer towards the struggling man. His eyes shone fierce and sharp as daggers, his wicked smile a very omen of death and destruction.

"Damn!" snarled Kimbree, clapping his hands tight over the snake's body even as he tried to escape it's grasp. A hiss of pain from Envy, and then the reptilian beast blew sky high. But it didn't solve the fact that Kimbree's arm was now hanging limp, shredded, and more then likely, poisoned. Even his rebellious eyes had lost their luster, and he staggered from Envy's range, only to meet with the edge of the rooftop. Frantic, he searched for an out, but, much to his dismay, he was cornered. His eyes whirled back to meet Envy's leer of doom.

"I'll have you know, my plans weren't to kill you, not yet at least, Crimson Alchemist." Envy's voice was a throaty ring, deep and melodious, as his form moved ghost-like across the rooftop, stalking the alchemist like some menacing wild beast would stalk it's prey, toying maliciously with him. "But now, my sadistic tendencies won't be abated any longer. You know what this is?" Envy's hand held up a tiny bottle containing a minuscule amount of something that wasn't water, nor was it air, and yet it had no definite color to it. When he receive no answered, Envy hissed, "It's liquid nitrogen."

Liquid….nitrogen…the words stirred Greed from his thoughts, and he looked weakly, but defiantly upwards at the quarreling pair. It took several second's span for the images he was seeing to register in his mind, and then…

"KIMBREE!" The sin cried, his feet rocketing from beneath him and propelling him upwards at the same time as his clawed hand reached out it's slender fingers in the direction of the two. But it was too late. Just as he cried out, everything seemed to pass in slow motion. Envy lifted the bottle, and, eyes darting back to glare at the interruption with satisfaction, he chucked it at Kimbree. Crimson, unprepared, opened his mouth to cry out, but instead felt the impact of the bottle on his chest, and, with orbs wide with fear, turned his head towards his Master.

Before Greed's very eyes, his entire life, his entire future, his one, most important possession fell down, down, over the edge of the roof and beyond his sight.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Law! Dorochet! Get up!" Martel's hands shook the two dozing chimeras, her feral eyes wavering over the two brutes. Dorochet, with his drawn-up doggish face and soft, cool eyes that stared groggily up at her when she spoke, and Law, with his bull horns and obedient glare, roused rather heavily from their sleep, eyeing her warily.

"Martel? What is it?" Law asked, rolling off his ridiculously small cot and rubbing his head, stern suspicion and seriousness clinging to his words. Dorochet, in the background, flopped from his bed and landed rather unimpressively on the hard floor, whining and rubbing his aching head.

"It's the State. They're coming…to destroy us…" Hesitation, fear, lingered in the snake's voice, her eyes downcast. "They say Fuhrer Bradley is in charge of the battalion."

"So?" snarled Dorochet. "Like Greed can't handle them. You know he's not human. He'll kill the lousy Fuhrer." His back leg had come up before he had noticed, and it seemed as if he might scratch his ear with it, but, realizing his own stupidity, he replaced his foot on the floor and sighed. "And the little officers are so easy to kill it's not even funny."

"No, you don't understand…"

"Martel," Law quipped, "is there something you aren't telling us?"

A moment's hesitation, and then, "Greed and that Envy creature are on the rooftop…"

"WHAT?"

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Greed's legs moved so quickly, so purposefully, that he had Envy's neck in his grasp before his mind even recognized that he had moved. His face was a ghastly reminder of what had once been human, a face melded of black steel and cold metal that gave the most deadly, most terrifying and gruesome look that any individual, be it man or beast, would be able to muster. "You bastard…" he snarled. "You fucking bastard. I'll slit your throat and drag you down to hell."

Envy, nonchalantly, raised one eyebrow in mock interest. "Ah, so I've made Greedy mad. What a shame. I suppose you're angry at me for killing your little pet, aren't you?"

"BASTARD!" cried Greed once more, and, unable to control himself, he emphasized his words by slamming the frail body of the other homunculus against the rooftop with all the force he could muster. Again and again, his muscular body slammed the rag-doll frame of his enemy against the ground, and again and again he screamed that horrible word. At last, his legs fell from under him and Greed found himself clutching the ground with one hand, face slowly becoming mortal-seeming again. His chest was heavy with his breathing, and it heaved greatly as his black claws faded to pearly white. His knuckles, still fisted around the other sin's neck, refused to let go. "B-bastard…" he choked.

"Maybe I am…" Envy chuckled, brushing away a thick, dark line of blood that dripped from his pale lips, "But if I were you, I wouldn't speak so ill of my new…" his hand slipped into Greed's tight shirt, and pressed ever so gently against the powerful, bare chest that lay beneath. "…Master…"

"Anyone…" snarled Greed, forcing breath into his feeble body and giving Envy another good shake in a failed attempt to dislodge the sin's hand from him, "Anyone who uses such underhanded tactics to control someone has no right to be called a Master."

Envy's eyes narrowed blood-thirstily. "And what the fuck does that mean, huh? I'm no different from you. How many men have you killed just because you wanted their wives? How many children have you slaughtered before their mother's eyes in order to obtain something you want, huh, Greedy, answer me that!" His smile slipped to a sly grin as the guilt and terror in Greed's eyes told him he had hit straight on the truth. "Tell me, Greedy…" His face mirrored Beelzebub's. "…what is the cost…of a life?"

The words were a physical blow to Greed's heart, and his face became contorted with pain, his hand making it's last, fatal mistake: he let go of Envy, and tried to stand, staggering unsteadily to his feet. His eyes, filled with fear, were cast down accusingly at the sin. Time stood still. Until, that is, he heard the very first gunshot, saw the very first flame strike up below them out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he growled in a voice that lacked all emotion, "What was that?"

"The flames…" purred Envy, his body sneaking to its feet so quietly that he would have gone unnoticed, even to the trained ears of his brother. The cruelty of his face was incomprehensible, for it was the look of a hunter who had finally cornered his prey. "…of Hell." And in that split second, he slipped beneath Greed, whirled around, and drove his hand against the sin's chest, right above his heart.

"What are you-?" Greed tried to pull away, but it was far too late. His chest erupted in a strange red glow, bright and shining like the sun had been trapped in his body. Pain laced all his limbs and he cried out loudly, "What the fuck are you-"

"I'll give you what you want, Greed," Envy said, his eyes flaming with seriousness as they met the other sins, and, for a second, Greed fancied that he saw pity in those violet orbs. But, as he saw Envy's hand, in an almost dream-like state, remove itself from his chest, a deep, bloody stone in his grip, Greed knew, it was over. As the roar of the flames grew louder and louder, and as the dark clouds of smoke rose up to block the sun's warming rays, it was over.

Just as the building caught flame, Greed fell.

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**To be Continued in the finale,Chapter VI: The Red Dawn**


	7. Chapter 6: The Red Dawn

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter VI: The Red Dawn_**

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"There's too many of them!" Dorochet snarled, drawing back with his blades clutched in ashen-white hands to his chest. His nose flicked, like a mongrel sniffing for scraps. "I can't find Greed anywhere!" He glanced nervously towards Martel, eyes narrowed in cold frustration. "Martel, what do we do? If we don't get out of here soon, we'll all be burned with the place!"

Martel lashed out her wickedly long and sinewy arms, knocking away a soldier's blow like his sword was a playtoy, then beating him down with her inhuman fist. Drawing back, her spine pressed against Dorochet's, and Law to their side, she gritted her teeth. "But, our master-"

"Face it, Martel! Greed's either escaped or he's dead. I've got the most pride of the three of us together, but, hey, I value my life. If I'm dead, who'll seduce those pretty bitches in the taverns?"

"I agree with Dorochet," came the hulking voice of the third as he shifted weight from one foot to the other, head dropping as if to charge the endless army that protruded from the shadows of the blaze. His mane of silver-white hair shook furiously with the shaking of his head, and his meaty fists were balled at the waist. "We can make a final stand here, and die in loyalty, or we can escape and hope to find him somewhere else. You know our Master, and he is not human. He will survive, no matter the circumstances."

"But…" Martel whispered, her head dropping with clouded eyes to look at the ground.

"No time for buts!" Dorochet growled, and, bending low like a lupine, his legs steadied and ready, he uttered, "On the count of three. Three…two…one…go!" His hand snapped back, grabbed Martel's wrist, and he was sprinting off through the human crowd, shoving them from his way, out of his way. Law, beside them, charged through the military, head thrusting forward to knock the unsuspecting fighters aside.

"NO!" Martel shrieked, and withdrew her hand from her brother-in-arms'. Defiantly her legs spread at an angle, and fierce, dark eyes glared at the other two from beneath a mop of straw-colored locks.

"You crazy?" yelled Dorochet's rough voice, and he paused long enough to look back at her. "Bitch! Run!" Law's hulking body plowed on through the crowd a few feet further, until he had enough room to turn back as well. There, his great, thought-filled eyes met upon those of a rebellious angel, who, knowing that her place was not where it should be, had cast away her gaze from the hope ahead and sentenced herself to destruction. Unlike Dorochet, law spoke not a word, he merely watched his sister as she bowed her head, and muttered to the two of them, "I'm going."

"Going? Going where!" Dorochet barked. By now, his eyes were shifting from her face to the men closing in on them. Escape soon would be impossible. He bared his fangs and clenched his fists. She was a fool for this! A fool!

"To find him!" Martel cried softly, and then, without even the comfort of goodbye, she turned and fled back into the flames. Had the two others looked closely enough, they would have seen a single tear escape her cold eyes, but as it was, all they saw were the flames and the gunfire enveloping her, dragging her away.

"YOU BITCH!" screamed the dog, who turned to run after her until a hefty, stalwart hand landed tightly on his shoulder, restraining him. "Law!"

"Let her go. "

"But?"

"Do you like being a chimera, Dorochet?" Law asked.

"What kind of fucking question is that? We don't have time for this! We have to go save her!" he ripped his shoulder free and made to go tearing after the fleeing snake, but Law gripped him again.

"No."

"LAW! Why the fuck not?" Dorochet's anger was rising, and, as he turned in pure brutish abandon, his sword caught the other chimera's cheek, staining the blanched skin a light crimson with blood. Dorochet's mouth was agape.

Calmly, Law replied, "She wants…to be human."

"Human?"

**----------------------------------------------------------**

"I was sure I had died…oh, God, this burning, this pain. My flesh feels like its being rendered limb from limb. My arms, lead weights, my head a boulder that's been given a good swing by a pickax. I thought, I honestly thought, I had died…but…then again…" The hulking black beast's hands groped the wall, taking in deep inhales of breath as he felt the burning brick scalding his skin, and all the pleasure pain had once given him was gone, now it merely hurt to be hurt. His legs stumbled and faltered over every little rock, and he looked like some bestial being forced from the very jaws of Hell. Where once had been his soft, pale playboy skin, now there were great patches of deep black iron in places, and others skin that had been burnt a soft black hue. His eyes, likewise burned, were blinded shut and his mouth so dry that his breath was a deep rasp. Numb to all the horrible pain that tore at his heart and his lungs, his stomach and every part of his fleshen body, the avaricious sin did not feel the blossoming red flower budding from where his heart had been, the river of life flowing from him and downing him every few minutes with its sapping power.

What a fucking idiot he felt like. In all its irony, he mocked those legs that would not hold him every time they brought his face to meet the scraping, cutting rock that jutted from beneath him. "I'm a homunculus…why….why do I feel this….what's happening? Where's Crimson?" As his foot felt of the carapace of a soldier lying prone before him, he let out a soft cry and collapsed once more, but this time he did not get up. Tears darkened the burnt skin of his eyes, but he didn't know he was crying. Hands tried to grip the rock before him, but came up empty. Legs, like gelatin sat too long in the sun, would not obey his commands.

"No…more…" he thought, ruefully, bitterly. "I can't take it…what have you done? What is this, this feeling of loneliness and horror and…" His mouth opened, coughed, the crimson blood which tasted of metal and had always been, when it flowed from others, like sweet honey on his lips now tasted metallic and cold and horrible. Sightless, shut eyes clenched tighter together. And his half human, half-clawed digits dug into the ground, a scream rendered from his throat. "I want to die!" he yelled. "Kill me!" His body shivered, and, pained, curled itself into a ball on the pile of useless corpses, just another man now, he was, just another soul who had been lost on the battlefield.

He had forgotten even what he was fighting for! For all the memories, muddled within his mind, of the last few minutes were gone, or confused, or ripped apart. He'd see the demonic sin's face glaring down at him, a flash, a shadow, cold liquid engulfing a spry young body, but the pictures didn't add up.

"Kim….bree…." he whispered, letting his body fall limp. His time had come.

That was when…"Greed?" rasped a voice from nearby. "Greed!"

"Hm?" Greed's head lifted in the barest fraction. His name, whispered like some prayer to a higher power, had alerted him to presence of another voice, one which sounded awfully familiar, and yet he couldn't place it. Must have been just a dream. His head dropped once more.

Then it came again, softer this time, but more urgent. "Greed!"

"If you're coming to tell me, oh God whom I still scorn even in my death, that I am to be exiled to the realms of Hell, you're wasting your breath. I won't make amends now."

"Fu…fucking idiot…." Whispered the voice, and it gave a shuddering breath. "Y…you would forget…your own…man…"

Greed's head snapped up, and it was like the bus of truth had blind-sided him. From within his shadow of doubt, he now knew, for sure, who was speaking to him. "Crimson?" he called, then fell to coughing. Amidst his fit, he cried out, "Crimson, where are you? I can't see you!'

"Over…here…" and then silence.

Greed's feet, mustering the very strength that was his courage, his emblem, forced themselves up, laboriously. Panting, grunting, growling with the pain that flooded his limbs like the hot fire that surrounded him, he dug his clawed fingers at his eyes. See! I must see! His glasses, knocked aside, hung from one ear, dangling dangerously. Ash, like rain, fell from his face, blood dripped from where his fury tore at his eyelids, until, finally, he blinked, taking in the darkness lit by a world of light that was destroying his home. What a horror he opened his eyes to! Everywhere, bodies, rotting corpses half-seized by flame, some still alive and reaching out, screaming piteously.

If there was a Hell on Earth, this was it. "Crimson?" The man coughed, his broken glasses slipping from his face, clashing to the ground and shattering to a thousand rainbow-flickering pieces. Panicked eyes like cool silver shot this way and that, hands searching, searching..."Fuck..." he muttered, "Crimson, answer me! Don't die now!"

His hands, how human they felt beneath his muscular frame. How weak they were, supporting his useless body as he stumbled through the burning wreckage. These lungs of his, filling with the scorching air, the searing flames...he knew he had to get out of this hellhole. But...

"CRIMSON!" he screamed, tanned arms shaking, feet unable to hold him up. Greed's shoulder knocked heavily against the support post of a wall, but the flames around were too great, and the wood gave an eerie creak before...

"Is this the end?" Greed asked himself, as he watched the beam above him, coming towards him with a speed that, now, in his fleshen form, seemed like the very speed-of-light. His eyes closed, his body bracing for the final blow. The blow which...never came.

Greed's eyes opened after five, six seconds. There, standing before him like some shining goddess, Martel's frail body was clinging to the support post, her entire form lit by flame and her voice ringing like the sorrowful bells of a funeral. Her arms were trembling, her body close to collapse as she felt the inferno swallowing her alive.

"Martel! You-"

"G-go….master…" she whispered, and Greed, stunned, managed to step out of the way, just enough for Martel to safely allow her arms to give out and let herself fall, the post knocked only a bit off to the side, so that it still trapped her legs, causing her to hiss a curse. Laying upon the scorched earth, pinned by one leg and badly burnt from head to toe, Martel's clouded eyes glance up at Greed. "G-go…go find him….he's over the ridge…"

Greed, bending just enough to touch her, scooped that weakened, paling body into his arms, or at least the head and shoulders of her body. Fear and horrible sadness drilled themselves into his heart, or what remained of it, and tears hung at the edges of the once-homunculus' eyes. "Martel…you…"

"You're my master…" she whispered, looking piteously upon the features of a face that she could hardly recognize. Her body gave a shiver. "I serve you until death…" Then, looking beyond to the distance from which she had come, her eyes narrowed and fought for consciousness. There, on the horizon, a small party with muskets in hand came charging. "Go," she urged, her hand reaching to her side to withdraw a discarded knife just beyond what would have been human reach. "I'll hold them off."

"But you're wounded!" he wanted to argue. But Greed's mouth clamped itself shut. He forced that cold, cruel smile that had always been his trademark to once again flash on his lips, and, in that second, he saw her eyes alight with hope. Leaning his head down, the monstrous being who had once been a monster dreaming of being a man and who was now neither by punishment of his own greed stole a kiss from the dying serpent, who exhaled a soft breath and let her kind eyes trail him for as far as she could see.

When he was out of sight, Martel smiled to herself. "Thank…you…Master…" Her head fell to the side, the knife falling from her grasp. "For fulfilling…my…my own…my greed…"

**-------------------------------------------------------------------**

Over the ridge. Over the ridge. Just a little further. From the perfect darkness of the flames, the hulking brute moved uneasily, but with haste, to the glowing red inferno that was the dawn. Almost there. His hands dug at the air, as if he needed it to keep balance. Keep going! Faster! Faster! Faster!

And then, simultaneously, he reached the top of the ledge and his heart stopped dead in his chest. The end had come.

"KIMBREE!"

* * *

**To be Continued in the (real) finale,Chapter VII: Death**


	8. Chapter 7: Death

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Chapter VII: Death_**

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* * *

_**

"Mustang…" whispered a voice beside the Taisa, as the young blonde looked up wearily at him, but also so defiantly. "What would you do just to get it all back? Just to…live the story, all over again?"

"Hm?"

Edward Elric's body leaned against Roy Mustang's, his shoulders bare beneath the torn and stained red coat, his pants not even smoothed for the haste with which they'd been put on. How tired he seemed, and how old, a full-grown man in the body of a young teen who now tottered unsteadily, leaning upon the form of a friend to see him through this. And oh, what a disaster this happened to be!

Before the pair stretched out what looked to have once been one of the top nightspots in Dublith, but now only existed as some godly bonfire. A sign crashed down into the pit not more then five feet from the alchemists, the name "Devil" alighting in such a spark that it looked as if the flames were dancing with glee, parading the torment of the aching, creaking building blocks of the giant structure. Not even the burning of the Elric household had had this sort of evil, this blazing fury about it. The building was a hunting ground for the evil, the sinners, the damned, and this was the punishment. Or, at least, that's how the scene was perceived in Edward Elric's mind, which would rather be soothed by fancy lies then to find the truth in such a terrifying incident.

Silence. And then, "I wouldn't."

"Mustang?"

"I wouldn't…I wouldn't give anything Ed."

"But why?"

"Because…" Hesitation. "If I exchanged this life for another, the horror would only manifest itself again. It's fate."

Fate, huh?

**---------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Crimson!" shrieked Greed's voice, an inhuman cry like some feral beast. And what a beast he was, with his only semi-clawed hands pawing through the debris, the dirt, the flaming embers and the blackened soot, forcing away these ghastly obscenities from the body of his beloved second-in-command. But this was not a sight for innocent eyes, oh, by certainty it was not.

As Greed had reached the crest of the rise, he had met his hungering eyes with…nothing. Flames, rising and falling like dragon's breath, and the soft echoes of cries and gunfire. But no sign anywhere of his beloved Crimson alchemist. Until…something caught his eye. A movement, a bare shudder of Earth. And now, encased in his fury and all of the condemnations he could muster within his beastly breast, Greed tore at the Earth, at the very seams of Hell, as if he could but reach down into the jaws of the world and draw back the life which now lingered, so weakly, at the Reaper's door.

"Crimson!" he cried, "Crimson!" faster now, and faster, and the demonic remains of the heart in his chest beat like lightning, forcing the hands to move faster, shift the earth, dig deeper. Deeper! There was a shred of hope, a shred of life, a shred of something fleeting and something bittersweet, and it was this hope that he must draw from. In all his years, Greed had never lost a possession. Until now.

As his claws his against something firm, thought it to be a rock, and so, with such care one would give a mere stone, he tugged at it as if to haul it up. It resisted. Snarling a curse, he pulled again, but the rock was no ordinary mineral, no ordinary chunk of the Earth. It was flesh-colored. And now, as he pulled it up a little more, he found it to be a thin, limp arm, and a coughing, sputtering face rose from the depths of the ashes. Greed's hand relinquished its grip immediately.

"Kimbree!" He yelped, only realizing too late that by dropping Kimbree, he had sent the alchemist fluttering back down into a cloud of black soot. His hand moved, snaked out, drew up the alchemist again and into his arms. But his eyes met with the sheer fright of his soul; this was no longer his alchemist.

Like a dead thing, Crimson seemed. His arms were nearly bare of muscle and certainly bare of fat, his skin shriveled almost to the bone. His chest, beneath the white shirt which bore blood stains from his shredded shoulder, was sunken in, caved in upon itself, and his face was drawn back, gaunt, horrible-looking, his eyes looking as if they had been drawn back into his skull. A mouth like a gaping black hole sucked for air, but, finding none, rasped fearfully, and those same eyes tried in vain to focus upon his master's face.

"Kimbree…oh….oh god…" Muttered Greed, for it was one's nature, even if that one was a homunculus, to be not only disgusted, but downright repulsed by the unearthly figure which writhed and choked in his arms like a corpse torn from its grave. "Crimson…" His half-clawed, half-human hands were unsteady, unsure, and it hit him like an arrow in the heart. This was the human nature. This was the human emotion. And this, what had once been the homunculus Greed, was no longer.

He was human.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"G-Gre…ed…" rasped the voice, twig-like fingers clawing at the man's arm.

"Hush…Hush, Crimson, it'll be over soon…" cooed Greed, cradling the other man's head in his arms, and shaking with both cold and this ever-present, lurking fear. Was he afraid of death? That was a humorous thought. He, who had always been the one playing advocate to the Devil, was now fearing the very coming of such a beast. Greed's body, curled into a fetal position there in the ash, with Zolf's skeletal frame drawn up against his chest, lay with the flames licking at his shoulders, with the faintness drifting before his eyes. "Don't say anything…I'm here, I have you…and death will…will take us both soon…blissful, blissful Hell…it'll open it's doors for two more dark angels…"

"G-Greed….th….that….bas…ba…"

"Bastard," whispered Greed. "I know. I know…he was a bastard to do this to you…to do this to me..."

"I…w-w..wil…will….ki…ll…h-him…" Kimbree's ashen lips quirked into the faint remnants of a smile, and his eyes closed, head falling aside, life spent.

"No!" Greed whimpered, and shook Crimson's shoulders suddenly, though his aching body screamed not to move. "Crimson, don't you dare go before me! Crimson!" More shaking, more futile pleas. Why? What was this? What were these feelings that were so new, yet so familiar, coursing through the blood of the sin? And what was this horrible, horrible terror that swelled up from the pit of his Greed, which forced him to call out?

"NOOOOO!"

**--------------------------------------------------------**

"Funny," mused Roy. "I think I just heard a ghost."

Edward's skeptical gaze shot upwards at Roy, his mouth curling into a scowl. "A ghost? Get real, Mustang. You're just trying to give me the heebie-jeebies."

But Roy's stern, contemplative look told Edward otherwise. And the seriousness which lurked in the older alchemist's voice, cold as stone, unnerved Elric. "A ghost…of the cries…"

"Cries?"

"Of Ishvar."

**----------------------------------------------------**

So cold…Greed's body was so cold, and, even now, he couldn't even muster the strength to pull his companion's lifeless form closer to him for the warmth of what the dead corpse could give. Where was the Reaper, with his scythe of loving steel and death? If this was Hell already, why could he still feel his own breath? And why, in the darkness of his closed and locked mind, could he hear that laughter? Laughter…like death was simply standing at the sidelines, mocking him.

"W-what…what do you laugh at?" Demanded Greed into the surroundings, his eyes shut to the bearer of such foul feeling.

The laughter again, higher, much more exuberant. Like his words had pleased the Devil. And then, though he hadn't heard the approach, a voice spoke from above him. A voice which both froze and enflamed his soul simultaneously. "I told you I'd make your life a living Hell."

"YOU!" snarled Greed, and his eyes snapped open, only to be greeted by the cruelest of cruel sights. There, peering down from not more then two inches above his face, the sneering, sinister smirk of a snarling serpent, whose tongue slipped from his pale lips to lash about as if it were no man he stared down upon, but a delicious meal waiting to be devoured. Palm locks fell about boyish shoulders, a body which begged, in all rights, to be abused. But now, that abuse was manifesting itself into something else inside greed's breast.

And, even as he felt the hatred of his kin devouring him, Greed bore witness to Envy's next villainy. In one fell swoop, the homunculus' leg lashed out and tore through the thin film of flesh at Crimson's side, knocking the body well out of Greed's clawing, searching grasp. With a sickening thud, the form landed well out of the way, and alit in a new flame, burning away the evidence that an alchemist who betrayed his State had ever existed.

And that was the last straw.

"You….BASTARD!" Greed's voice hissed the threat, and all self-consciousness eluded him. Where once had been a suave, gentlemanly pimp, now resided something that truly looked as if it had come from the very bowels of the crypt; a monster whose delicate vest hung haphazardly from his ripped shoulders, and whose body was stained in blood. His feet snapped his body upright, and he swung a mutated, despicable arm in Envy's direction, which the sin leapt like a hurdle. Envy's heel crushed against Greed's shoulder, sending the unstable monster crashing to the ground, and the palm flipped backwards, landing perfectly. Sneering, he challenged, "You'll have to do better then that."

Like a bull released before a bull-fighter, Greed regained his footing in a split second and charged again, lashing a kick with his leg at Envy's side, which missed as the sin darted sideways. Two more punches thrown with blind rage, and the sin ducked them both, catching the arm of his attacker at the second blow. Instead of throwing Greed, however, Envy drew him closer.

"Why?" hissed Greed, his sharp eyes staring from a face that looked like a leper's, half flesh, half iron. His clawed hand curled in Envy's grasp to dig into the sin's shoulder.

Envy held up, in his other hand, a bloodied stone. Greed's own Philosopher's Stone. "Because I love to play God, and because I never seemed to get your full attention before. What an envious and greedy son of a bitch I am, hm, Greed? But then, we are not so different. After all, what lengths have you gone to in order to get what you want, hm? And now," His hand lashed out like a whip, careening the red stone straight for Greed's chest. "the piece d' resistance! I will make you…mine!"

Greed's eyes widened. It was over, all over!

**---------------------------------------------------------------------**

CRASH!

Envy blinked, mouth falling agape. His eyes, widened purple spheres, blazed with confusion. "No-no…that's not possible…you…what are you planning?"

Greed's arm, held an inch from his chest, was held like a blockade, and it was that, from this simple movement, the stone had been blocked in its path. Not only blocked, but knocked entirely aside. And, panting, but with that demon's smile on his malformed face, Greed's eyes glared back at Envy triumphantly. And his foot rested atop the large gem, as if considering something. "Can't have everything, Palm…" he panted.

Now, the vicious cruelty, the hatred, and Envy was glaring him down with narrowed, dagger-sharp eyes. "You wouldn't."

Greed asked, applying just the slightest pressure to the stone, and wincing as he felt it's power surging through his body, as if it wanted to restore him to what he had once been. An enticing thought, but… "Who says?"

Envy twitched, his hand still clasping Greed's arm, his other held out as if to grab for the fallen item. A throaty growl echoed in his throat, and then, with more menace…"You wouldn't dare. You wouldn't disobey father."

Greed's mouth hung open and from it poured the most joyous, most mentally insane sound that had ever been heard in all Amestris, a sound to chill even the flames about his ghastly figure. Laughter. Pure, wicked laughter.

"No, don't!" screamed Envy.

But it was too late. Greed's body hit the ground like a sack of potatoes being dropped, and, in an instant, lit ablaze with flames that had not come from around him, but had, instead, manifested themselves from the very soul of his being. And in his wake, all that remained was the blackened ash that had been a homunculus. And the shattered shards of a blood-red stone.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Come on, Ed…it's time to go home."

Ed looked up at Roy.

"There's nothing we can do here," muttered the bitter, resolved voice of the Colonel.

Edward nodded, but it seemed something was still on his mind. "Hey, Colonel…"

"Hm?"

"About that fate thing you said earlier…"

Roy gave a soft chuckle.

"What? It's nothing to laugh about!"

"FullMetal, you are such a kid," Roy said, and, shaking his head, turned to walk away, pausing as he did so to plant a gentle kiss atop the mess of blond locks atop FullMetal's head, and then running a hand through these locks in a fatherly manner, chuckling to himself.

"Don't call me kid! Mustang, don't you friggin' patronize me! Get back here! Hey! Are you even listening to me? Wait up!" Edward, charging after his Taisa, cast one look back at the burning remains. Funny, how it brought back memories so dear…flames, he thought. Always…always burning, always changing.

Always ushering out the ending of something…and always dragging in a new beginning.

* * *

**The End**


	9. Aftermath: Rebirth

_**"Inerasable Sin"  
A fanfiction by Erin Lightning**_

**_Aftermath: Rebirth_**

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"You double-crossing-"

"Envy…"

"-fucking-"

"Envy…"

"-lying-"

"Envy…"

"-Bastard!"

"ENVY!"

"WHAT!" The palm-haired homunculus screeched, casting crazed, feral eyes upon his half-sister, mouth knit tight in the cruelest gaze he had ever given to any living being, or, for that matter, any homunculus. His fists were tight knots, a bulging vein betraying itself on his pale temple. Atop the wrecked wall, he sat like a king, one leg crossed over the other, and such anger was apparent in his face as to make even a hurricane bite back its fury in his presence. He was pissed.

"You had best watch what you say in the presence of our father. Acting like a fool will only bring about your own destruction, you know. It's what happened to him." Lust smiled, that dark, manipulative smile that could drive the older sin up the wall. "Then again, you've seen that first-hand, haven't you?" And she copped an attitude with him, tilting her head away as if she were oh-so-brilliant for that insult.

"What'd you say, bitch!" snarled Envy in pure hate, jumping from his perch and landing before the female, not even bothering to flip his body so as to make less impact when he landed. The ground beneath him sunk in slightly as he hit, but he didn't even hesitate. Moving like a streak, his hand mutated into a cobra and struck at her, fangs pausing inches from her neck.

"That's enough."

Envy's eye averted from Lust and cast back over his shoulder to see who the hell would dare intrude at this time. Enter Bradley, the stuck-up know-it-all of the army. And, clinging to Pride's leg, the cowering form of the second youngest sin, Wrath, whose raven locks fell down his shoulders and gave him the Cousin It effect. Envy's grotesque look shifted in an instant to an obscure grin. "Oh, look, it's Mister High-And-Mighty himself. What brings you down here, oh LORD Brown-noser?" His eyes and his grin narrowed maliciously, his other eye looking back at Lust to satisfy himself with the fact she hadn't moved an inch with his viper still focused on her. Back to Bradley. "You've got no power here, so scram. And take the brat-prince with you."

"Watch your mouth," Pride snapped at Envy, both eyes glaring back from a face suffused with an anger almost akin to Envy's own, and yet not even close. "Who do you think you are?"

Envy's eyes flashed about the room, from Lust, who was in his reach now, to the ever-present Gluttony, who looked like nothing more then a giant flesh marble, seated quietly in the corner, most likely trying to eat something he wasn't supposed to while Lust's back was turned. Then to Bradley, the sibling whom he had always hated the very most, and the cowering little brat Wrath, and finally to Sloth, who stood behind Bradley like always and had appeared, as if by magic, out of nowhere. "You think you're so tough," Envy spat at Bradley. "Is it because you've got the little pip-squeak with you there, and your little whore?"

Sloth shot Envy a contemptuous look. Envy returned it with the birdie. His half-sister, the product of that FullMetal Shrimp, turned away, looking annoyed.

"I could kill you without lifting a finger," Bradley said, his calm manner returning as his ouroburos eyes fetched upon Envy. "Mother always did say you were the dysfunctional one in the family. You and that Greed. You'll both go the same way."

Envy, though it was obvious the comment had hit home, mustered the strength to maintain that nasty snarl of a grin, and, turning his snake-like arm from Lust, let the serpent rise above his head, daring it back to prepare to strike Bradley. "Ooh, big words, but can you back them up with your little threat?" His flesh hand reached forward, fingers drumming back against his palm. "Try it. I dare you."

Bradley withdrew his saber. "If you wish."

"Knock it off, both of you. How dare you quarrel so in my own abode," a grizzled old voice growled the words, drawing the eyes of the six sins to the corner of the room, where, bound tight to a contraption that looked like a giant metal coffin, only with many more wires, the form of an old man lay, breathing rapidly. And, dug into his chest, these wires fused with blood vessels, forcing the life into a body that was as old as time itself. The Light Alchemist, Hohenheim Elric, whose wings had dared the sun and was now left to lay, imprisoned for all eternity, beneath the maw of the Earth in this chamber of steel.

For this was the father of the homunculus. The father of the Philosopher's Stone.

Envy's arm lashed out, but its target was no longer the arrogant bastard of a homunculus who stood before him. The beast slithered its way through the air, straight towards the sin's father, jaws agape as if to latch upon the old man, to poison him, to kill him. Mere inches from reaching the immobile figure, however, the serpent burst into a writhing whip of flames and blinding golden light. Envy howled, his blackened arm withdrawing and becoming a normal, but burned, limb once more.

"You fucking asshole!" screamed Envy, drawing himself up in all dignity and respect and striding purposefully towards his maker.

"Stop where you are, or you'll burn too," warned Hohenheim.

Envy paused, shrugged, walked a few feet closer, and then stopped, his face just close enough to peer down upon the mask of what had once been a man. "You told me if I gave him the mortal life of a human, and then offered back what he had had but never appreciated, he'd be mine forever! You lied to me, you manipulated me to serve your means! You bastard!" His fist clenched in anger, and now the entire chamber was silent, all eyes upon Envy and his father.

The eyes of the burning youth glared down at the imperfected skeleton, and there was a long, still hesitation in the air, before Envy merely seethed a scoff, turned, and made to stalk angrily away. Hohenheim's voice drifted after him, "You can't always have what you want. Take that to heart, or you'll end up just like him."

Envy raised an eyebrow. Was that a threat? Was this bastard, who couldn't even move a simple fucking finger, trying to threaten him? He shot back a look of insolence, and snarled, "Watch me."

Then he was gone.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------**

Edward was sleeping soundly when it happened. His world exploded in a sudden, cracking noise like something had been broken, and then, starting from his peaceful dreams, the young Elric blinked around in confusion, his face paling when he found what he was looking for. "Y-you!"

In the windowsill, which now remained only as jagged shards held together by one bar of wood (the rest had made a very nice, deadly mosaic on the floor) the serpent glared at him definitely, great ivy locks spilling over pale white shoulders. A sneer was on his face, nothing but pure annoyance. "Where's the younger Elric?"

"He's downstairs…" Ed muttered, mostly out of fear. "What do you want with him?"

"Him?" snarled Envy, as if the idea were preposterous. His eyes drank in the sight of Ed, his hair hanging wet, probably from a shower, and his body was naked save for the same blue and white boxers. Finally, a smile crept across Envy's face, and he leapt onto the floor, stalking across the field of glass shrapnel. "Oh, you're mistaken." Pausing before Edward, he reached a hand out, and his fingers curled about the boy's chin, even as Ed drew back in disgust.

Eyes meeting with the amber tiger ones of the younger, Envy grinned softly at the sorrow, the fear, the hate they reflected back at him. He made a hushing sound, and let his tongue slip from his pale lips, watching it lap silently at the boy's delicate cheek. "I just want you."

"I want…an uke..."

**-----------------------------------------------------------------**

"Gier!" An individual barking from the crowd of daytime shoppers, and the man turned around. His soft, pale purple-tinted eyes browsed the faces of the obsolete, of the unknown men, the women in their pretty bonnets. Finally, he caught sight of the man approaching him, a youth of no more then thirty that made his heart flutter at the very sight of him. Here was the one person that Habgier could put up with, a man whose slender, feminine form looked so delicious with its long, flowing black locks and his bright, fierce sunny eyes. And what impeccable taste in clothes! Maroon jacket covering a black, skin-tight cloth, and crimson-colored dress pants.

"Karmin!" Habgier greeted, a wicked smile lacing his shark-toothed maw. "Did you get it?"

The man, who found several bystanders between him and Habgier, frowned and shoved them aside, tripping and pushing and charging his way through the frenzy of chicken-like men and women. At last free of the grips of morning "traffic", he found himself landing straight into Habgier's arms, looking up into that triumphant face. Smirking, Karmin held up a weathered novel. "See for yourself."

Gier snatched up the novel in one greedy hand, his nails like long claws, fingers tracing the cover, feeling it, touching it, almost as if tasting the cover with his palms. "Excellent! 'A Beginner's Guide to Alchemy.' You've served me well…"

"Yeah, well, it wasn't easy to get, so you owe me, got that?"

"Are you two quite done yet?" called an agitated voice, as another made her way through the crowd towards them. The woman's short, spiked blonde hair stood out in a world of brunettes and blondes who wore their locks down to their waists. Scoffing, the outsider shoved her way until she was inches from the two men. She looked at them, at Karmin in the older Habgier's grasp. Raising an eyebrow, she chuckled. "What's this? Oh, for the love of God, grow up already, would you two?"

Habgier's demonic laugh rung in synch with hers, and he asked, "What is it, Chima? Feeling left out?"

Eyes narrowing, she flipped her own shrug. "Maybe."

Habgier shook his head, and smiled. No, not smiled. Grinned. Evilly.

Karmin was feeling left out. "And what's with this sudden interest in alchemy, huh? All fifteen years I've known you, you've always been totally biased against that religious witchcraft and stuff. So why start now?" Karmin asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, and looking up at the man whose mighty arms clasped him close, felt so good. Let the other people see; he didn't care. He didn't even care if Chima made fun of him. He felt good like this. 'Pleasure me…my master…'

"Oh," Habgier said, looking skyward, "No reason."

And the three turned, without further ado, and walked off down the streets of Munich, with Chima and Karmin on either side of the older Habgier, who held them close in his arms. And Habgier felt that, maybe, just maybe, being human wasn't so bad. At least, not for now.

'No reason. No…Reason.'

* * *

**The End...For Real!**


End file.
